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Scheduling remains hot topic as SEC spring meetings begin

By Brandon Walker | Halifax Media Services

Published: Tuesday, May 27, 2014 at 02:30 PM.

Holding court

Arkansas head coach Brett Beilema, entering his second season in Fayetteville, was the first coach to meet with assembled media on Tuesday. Bielema spoke on a number of issues, including the chatter from other conferences criticizing the SEC’s decision to maintain and eight-game league schedule.

“I’d like some of those other cats to come to our league and play eight games,” Bielema said.

When asked about the first year of the four-team College Football Playoff, Bielema said, “The SEC will get a minimum of two teams in a four-team playoff.”

‘A Spurrier kind of day’

According to head coach Hugh Freeze, the trio of Freeze, South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier and Auburn’s Gus Malzahn played a round of golf together prior to Tuesday’s meeting.

As the opening day of the SEC spring meetings in Sandestin wore on, talk inevitably returned to a topic that was not officially on the agenda. Several coaches in attendance, including Alabama’s Nick Saban and Florida’s Will Muschamp, commented about the SEC’s scheduling, a hot-button issue this offseason.

Last month, the SEC announced it would be sticking with an eight-game conference schedule and further mandated that each league team schedule a nonconference game with a team in the five power conferences.

On Tuesday at Hilton Sandestin, several coaches appeared to be split on scheduling going forward. Some, like Georgia’s Mark Richt, favor keeping FCS teams on the schedule while others, like Florida’s Muschamp, went the other way.

“We’re probably going to move forward without playing FCS opponents,” said Muschamp. “I think more than anything that (the College Football Playoff) is part of it, and our fan base, as much as anything, wants to see better opponents”

“What I’m learning is if we as BCS teams — or whatever you want to call us these days – if we don’t have those games with the FCS schools, a lot of them have a very difficult time making their budgets,” Richt said. “I think college football is too important at all levels to hurt them by setting criteria that would not allow you to play them.”

Saban said he prefers not to play FBS teams, but added, “Sometimes you don’t have a choice.”

Holding court

Arkansas head coach Brett Beilema, entering his second season in Fayetteville, was the first coach to meet with assembled media on Tuesday. Bielema spoke on a number of issues, including the chatter from other conferences criticizing the SEC’s decision to maintain and eight-game league schedule.

“I’d like some of those other cats to come to our league and play eight games,” Bielema said.

When asked about the first year of the four-team College Football Playoff, Bielema said, “The SEC will get a minimum of two teams in a four-team playoff.”

‘A Spurrier kind of day’

According to head coach Hugh Freeze, the trio of Freeze, South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier and Auburn’s Gus Malzahn played a round of golf together prior to Tuesday’s meeting.